Yahoo!’s Providence Team Report 1/20/09

Providence coach Keno Davis has a simple request of his players for Thursday night’s game at Seton Hall.

“Hopefully we’re able to go on the road and play just as hard as we did tonight,” Davis said after the Friars defeated Cincinnati on Monday night, their second win over the Bearcats in less than two weeks.

They now visit a team that is 0-5 in Big East play, 8-10 overall on the season. Last year, the Friars lost at home to Seton Hall.

STRATEGY AND PERSONELL

In Focus: Seton Hall enters the week at 0-5 and struggling, but it also has done a nice job of playing 30 minutes of good basketball a night. If it can get that closer to 40, it can give the Friars problems. A loss here, even on the road, would be difficult to overcome if Providence hopes to finish in the top half of the league.

ROSTER REPORT

C Randall Hanke is capable of being very productive, and he certainly was Monday night against Cincinnati, when he had 11 of his 15 points in the second half. He also grabbed seven rebounds in his 18 minutes. “When he’s going, you can’t stop him,” Providence coach Keno Davis said. “He has a knack for being able to put the ball in the basket. When he’s rebounding like he did tonight during stretches, he changes the game. We don’t have anyone else who can change the game inside like he can.”

Hanke and fellow C Jonathan Kale combined to go 12-for-13 from the floor Monday, but the rest of the Friars shot a woeful 30 percent, including 3-for-20 from 3-point range.